Tim and Kay, Part 2
by McGeeLover1
Summary: Tim and Kay are 6 months into their relationship when something happens to Tim that could change them forever. Angst/Pain/Friendship/Romance
1. Chapter 1

BZZZ. BZZZ. BZZZ. Kay groaned and rolled over, hitting the off switch on her alarm. She then rolled back to the sleeping man next to her.

"Tim. Honey, wake up." She nudged his shoulder, but his only reply was to grunt and roll onto his side, away from her.

Kay sighed. She loved Tim, but some mornings he could be a real pain to wake up. And it wasn't even like they had stayed up late the night before. In fact, they'd been so tired from work yesterday that they'd just changed into pj's and climbed into bed, almost asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

But they had work today, so they needed to get going. Kay had an idea. She climbed out of bed and pulled off her nightgown and panties, throwing them into the hamper. She went around to stand in front of Tim and knelt on the floor.

"Tiiiii-iim," she said in a singsong voice. He cracked his eye open a little, then both eyes as he took in her naked body.

"If we hurry, we could have enough time to get a shower together before getting dressed." Kay said in a soft voice, a grin on her face. She grabbed the covers and pulled them down to the end of the bed. Apparently, her suggestion had had the desired effect on him. She could see him starting to harden through his boxers.

"Mmmmm." Tim mumbled. "Tired."

"Too tired for this?" Kay asked playfully. She grabbed his boxers and pulled them down to his ankles, effectively trapping his legs. She trailed her hand up his leg, caressing him, then cupped his balls in her hand. She was definitely having the effect she wanted now. He moaned and tried to roll away from her, but only succeeded in trapping himself on his back in the middle of the bed.

Kay climbed onto the bed and knelt beside his hips. Her hand went back to fondling him, stroking and cupping him. Her hand trailed up to lightly stroke his cock. He moaned again.

Tim tried to keep himself under control, but his hips betrayed him by bucking upwards. He decided he'd had enough and tried to grab Kay and roll her underneath him, but she eluded his hands, trapping one of them by her side.

Kay grinned evilly at the reaction she was getting from his body. She worked her hand down to the base of his cock and gripped it tightly, making him gasp. She then lowered her head to him and licked the head of his cock. He moaned again as she took him in her mouth, slowly working her way down, pushing more of him into her mouth until she couldn't move any further. He was too big for her to take all of him in, even though she'd learned how to stifle her gag reflex, so she kept her hand at the base of his cock, gripping tightly, but not too tight.

Tim moaned again as she started moving her head up and down on him, going agonizingly slowly. She knew how to drive him crazy as she moved her tongue around him, licking and sucking him. She picked up the pace, moving faster.

He was near release when she suddenly pulled off of him, letting him go. His eyes flew to her face as she grinned.

"I'm going to get a shower now," she said, and left him there, going to the adjoining bathroom. He tried to get out of bed as he heard the water start, but his boxers were still trapping his ankles. He yanked them off with a growl and threw them in the direction of the hamper, not caring if they went in or not. He strode into the bathroom to find her already under the water, wetting her long black hair. He pulled the shower curtain back and climbed in behind her.

"Thought you could just get me all worked up and leave me, did you?" Tim half growled at Kay. She simply turned toward him, water sluicing down her body, and grinned. She moved a little closer to him.

"Did I get you all worked up in there? I was just having a little fun." she teased. Tim grabbed her in response, pulling her against him and mashing his lips against hers in a deep kiss. He reversed their positions so that she was up against the back wall of the shower and pinned her there with his body.

Tim kissed her roughly, then moved his lips down the side of her face, kissing along her jaw line to just beneath her ear. Kay took in a deep breath as his nuzzled her neck, kissing and licking that sensitive spot. Then he moved down further, trailing kisses across her collarbone. Kay moaned contentedly as his moved a little lower, his hand cupping her breast.

He kissed his way down to her breast, then gave his attention to her nipple, licking and sucking it until it was puckered and hard. He then moved to the other breast, still cupping the first in his hand and trailing his thumb across her nipple. He kissed her breast until it, too, was hard, then moved back upward to claim her mouth in a deep kiss.

Kay pulled him closer, moving her hips against him. He responded by pushing her roughly against the shower wall, pinning her body. He started swaying his hips against her, letting her feel his erection. Then his hand went to her thigh and pulled her leg upward. He repeated the process with her other leg, cupping her ass, until both legs were wrapped around his waist. He moved against her until his cock found her opening. Slowly he slipped inside her until he was completely engulfed in her sweet flesh.

He started rocking his hips against her, going slow at first, then picking up speed until he was thrusting into her, fast and hard. She was gasping and moaning as he pumped into her, nearly bruising her thighs as he held her pinned to the wall. He kept up the rough pace until he felt his body tighten.

"Oh, God, yes, ohhhHHH" He panted as he came inside her. He held her there for a minute, then resumed his thrusting into her.

One of the things Kay loved about fucking Tim was the way he didn't go soft immediately after coming. He could come before her, but stayed hard enough to please her. It didn't take long until she was the one panting and crying out his name.

"Tim, yes! Don't stop!" She cried as her muscles tightened around him. He kept moving until her orgasm passed, then paused, still buried deep inside her.

They stayed that way before a moment before she loosened her legs from around his waist. He gently lowered her down until her feet were on the shower floor again. They looked deep into each other's eyes, then their lips met again in a deep, passionate kiss.

They took turns washing each other off, both being gentle around their now-tender areas. They finally finished just as the water was growing cold. Stepping out of the shower and toweling off, each felt contentedly happy. They went back to the bedroom and dressed (Tim had started leaving a few sets of clothes at her apartment, and she left some at his.)

Kay made breakfast, then they left for work, each driving his or her own vehicle. They made a point of not arriving at exactly the same time. So far, none of their co-workers had found out about their relationship, and they wanted to keep it that way. Not only would DiNozzo constantly torment them, but Gibbs may also have a problem with it, not to mention Director Vance.

Once they arrived at the office, they went to their separate desks to start on the unfinished files from the day before.

Just another day for Tim and Kay.


	2. Chapter 2

"Gear up, people. Got a dead sailor in Norfolk," was Gibbs' greeting as he walked into the bullpen, coffee cup in hand.

Tony groaned. "This early? I've been here less than thirty minutes."

Gibbs gave him a look. Tony saw it and got the hint.

"Uh, right. Guess murders don't wait for convenient times."

"Ya think, DiNozzo? Let's move!"

"On your six, Boss!"

Kay grabbed her gear and saw Tim and Ziva doing the same. Gibbs handed Ziva a piece of paper.

"DiNozzo, McGee, you're with me. Matthews, you're riding with Ziva." Gibbs told them.

"We will see you there, Gibbs." Ziva replied. She waited as Kay caught up to her, then they headed toward the elevator. The men had already reached it and gone down, so they had to wait a few minutes before it came to the office level again. As they neared the car, Kay mentally braced herself for Ziva's driving.

They had buckled in and just left the garage when Ziva asked, "So, how long have you and McGee been sleeping together?"

Kay's jaw dropped open. "How did you- I mean, what makes you think-" she sputtered.

Ziva looked over at Kay, then back to the road. "Oh, are you not to that point yet? I would have thought that the two of you would have been sleeping together by this point, judging by what I saw."

Kay couldn't believe her ears. "What did you see? When?"

"Approximately one month ago, I was leaving the building through the parking garage and I saw the two of you kissing out by your truck. I did not wish to interrupt." Ziva replied. "I know you are keeping your relationship secret from Gibbs, so I have not said anything up until this point. But now I am curious as to how long you have been seeing each other."

Kay considered a moment, then decided to confide in Ziva. "We've been dating for about six months now. You won't say anything to Gibbs, will you? I know we're breaking Rule Number Twelve, but I just haven't been able to help myself. I really enjoy spending time with Tim, and he seems to feel the same. We've been very careful to keep our personal and professional lives separate."

"You have done well. If I had not seen the two of you together, I still would not have realized the two of you were dating. I'm sure no one else knows, and I will not tell." assured Ziva.

Kay gave a small sigh of relief. She knew that she could trust Ziva to keep her word. But what if someone else found out? God, what if _DiNozzo_ found out? He'd never keep it a secret. The only thing he might do would be to stop asking her out, which he did at least once a week. It didn't seem to matter how many times Kay said "no," he seemed to think the old "DiNozzo charm" would eventually win her over. Kay knew it was really starting to piss Tim off, but he couldn't very well say anything since they were keeping everything a secret.

"I have one more question, Kay," said Ziva suddenly. Kay looked over at her. "Do you love him?"

"That's a VERY personal question, Ziva." replied Kay. She looked out the window. She knew she loved Tim, but she still hadn't had the courage to tell him.

"I apologize. It was a very personal question." said Ziva.

They spent the rest of the trip to Norfolk in silence. When they reached the crime scene, they were unsurprised to find the men already there. Ziva's driving may be frightening, but Gibbs' was worse.

McGee was taking photographs of the scene, which was relatively clean. Kay began searching the area while Ziva went with DiNozzo to collect witness statements. Gibbs was talking with the LEOs, apparently arguing over jurisdiction. Kay grinned to herself. _Good luck winning that one, stranger, _she thought. A Navy sailor meant NCIS jurisdiction, but for some reason local law enforcements thought they should get a piece of the action.

Kay searched the area near the body, but found nothing. The man had obviously been shot, and at close range, but no bullets were at the scene, and there were no shell casings nearby. Kay expanded her search. She didn't think she'd find anything, but a piece of paper in the bushes nearby caught her attention.

"Tim, over here," she hollered. McGee came walking up.

"Whatcha got?" he asked. She pointed to the piece of paper and he took a photograph of its location. Kay then picked it up and read it. It seemed to be a part of a letter, but the writing was blurred and nearly illegible. They bagged it for Abby to analyze. Then they continued the search in that area, hoping to find more of the letter, but to no avail.

Eventually Gibbs called them all back. He'd won the argument, so NCIS was definitely taking the lead on this case. He ordered McGee and DiNozzo to wait with him for Ducky to arrive, and sent Ziva and Kay back to the office to get the evidence to Abby and start working on the prelims.

Kay had a feeling this was going to be a long case.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ok I know I promised something would happen to Tim, so here it is! Also, I've done a little name-dropping, review and tell me if you can figure out the name I've dropped! Enjoy!**

Kay's instincts turned out to be correct. The team had been working on the case for over a week, and the most they had gotten was the dead sailor's name, Marcus Weatherly, and the writing on the paper. Abby had managed to clear up the writing, but all they could make out was "won…up…love you….on." It wasn't much of a lead. Gibbs had the team focusing mostly on the women who lived around the sailor, thinking maybe he was having an affair, but those weren't panning out.

Kay kept coming back to the paper. There was something about the writing that bothered her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. DiNozzo had figured that the paper was just a scrap of a love letter from Weatherly's wife, or possibly not even connected to the case. Kay wasn't so sure. The writing…

The writing! Kay could've head-slapped herself.

"Gibbs! The handwriting on the note!" Gibbs looked up from his desk, his brow furrowing.

"What do you mean, 'the handwriting on the note,'? What about it?"

Kay brought the image of the note up on the plasma. "Look at it. We've been assuming it's from a female to Weatherly. But the handwriting is wrong. It's too blocky. A man wrote this note. Do we have a sample of Weatherly's handwriting?"

McGee checked his computer. "Yes, it was sent to Abby for analysis. The handwriting didn't match."

Kay thought for a moment. "What about another man? A note to Weatherly's wife perhaps? She has an alibi for the shooting, but what if the lover did it? Weatherly finds out she's having an affair, confronts the lover, and is shot."

"McGee!" barked Gibbs.

"On it, boss. " said McGee, fingers flying over his keyboard. "Got something here. There are some transactions made at the Hynes Hotel for the days that Weatherly was supposed to be on base…" He brought the transactions up on the plasma screen.

"DiNozzo, get the security footage from the hotel for those days. See what you can find." ordered Gibbs.

"Got it, boss." He was already dialing the phone.

_The next day… _

"We got the footage from the hotel and scanned through it." said DiNozzo. "Seems your theory is wrong, Matthews. We didn't find Weatherly's wife, but we did find this…"

He brought the footage up and paused it. There, on the screen, was Weatherly at the front desk. He was talking to another man.

"I think Weatherly was having an affair, but not with another woman. Watch this." He fast-forwarded the scene a few minutes, then ran it at normal speed. Weatherly had received the key from the clerk, and he and the man he'd been talking to were turning away. Just before they walked off screen, they could be seen holding hands.

"So Weatherly _was _having an affair, but with another man?" asked McGee.

"Looks like it." replied DiNozzo.

"Got a name for the other man, DiNozzo?" asked Gibbs.

"Abby ran it through facial-recognition software and came up with this," he said as he pulled another image up on the screen. "Jon Tomassen, former Navy officer, dishonorably discharged after threatening several other officers."

"Good, bring him in." said Gibbs.

_Later that afternoon… _

DiNozzo and Kay were standing in the interrogation observation room as their suspect, Jon Tomassen, sat patiently in the interrogation room. He had an air of arrogance about him, which irked Kay. They watched intently as Gibbs entered the room, holding a folder.

"You know Marcus Weatherly." It wasn't a question.

Tomassen answered anyway. "Yes, he was my friend."

Gibbs smirked. "You were more than friends." He opened the folder, pulling out still photos of Weatherly and Tomassen holding hands in the Hynes Hotel, sliding them in front of Tomassen.

He didn't bother looking at the photos. "So, we were good friends. Is that a crime?"

"No," replied Gibbs, "but murder is."

"Wait a minute, you think I murdered Marcus? What possible reason would I have to do that?" asked an apparently outraged Tomassen.

Gibbs tilted his head, looking at the suspect. "You tell me."

Tomassen gave Gibbs a dirty look. "I didn't kill Marcus. He was my best friend."

"You own a .9 mil? The same type of gun that killed Weatherly?" asked Gibbs.

"I used to. It was stolen during a break-in."

"Did you file a police report?"

"No, didn't bother. Look, can I go now? You have nothing or else you would have charged me with something by now." Tomassen got up.

Gibbs stood, too. "Don't leave town." He turned toward the two-way mirror with a look on his face.

DiNozzo said, "I know that look. Means keep trying to track down that gun."

"We've had no luck so far." replied Kay. "If he dumped it, he did a good job."

Kay and DiNozzo both left the observation room as Gibbs walked out of interrogation.

"I want twenty-four hour surveillance on Tomassen. My gut tells me he had something to do with Weatherly's death." Gibbs ordered.

"Got it, boss. I'll get McGee to set up the van outside Tomassen's apartment."

McGee and Kay sat in the surveillance van in the parking garage of Tomassen's apartment. They were taking shifts with DiNozzo and Ziva, who were currently waiting at the exit. They had been in that position for three hours already, and starting to get really bored with waiting. Kay was also distracted by being so close to Tim and not being able to do anything.

"Mike check. Tony, Ziva, can you hear me?" McGee asked as he was supposed to, right on the hour.

"Yes, McImpatient, we can hear you," came DiNozzo's sarcastic reply. "Damn, I'm getting really bored sitting here. You think Tomassen is really going to leave his apartment today?"

"I don't know, Tony," replied McGee, "but the boss said twenty-four hour surveillance, so we're here."

"Well, I wish he'd go out to eat or pick up dry cleaning or something, my ass is starting to go numb."

"Huh, and you call _me _impatient."

"Just keep watching those cameras, McNerdBoy, and let us know if he comes out."

"For the umpteenth time, Tony, I will." said McGee, thouroughly annoyed. He sat back with a sigh. Looking over at Kay, he noticed her chewing on her thumbnail, something she usually did when she was bothered by something.

"Something wrong?" he asked her.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just getting kinda bored myself." she replied, smiling at him.

He smiled back. As she turned her attention back to the video screens in front of her, he couldn't help but notice the curve of her neck, the way she had her hair pulled back in a braided bun, like always. He thought about how sensitive her neck was, how she loved it when he nibbled at just the right place…

"There he is!" Kay exclaimed, bringing McGee's attention back to the monitors. "He's leaving his apartment now, coming down the elevator."

"Tony, Ziva, you copy?" McGee said into his mike, but all he received was static. "Tony, Ziva! Damnit, what a time for the headpiece to go out. Tony, Ziva!" He sighed in frustration. Turning back to the monitor, he saw Tomassen leaving the elevator, keys out in one hand and other hand in the front pocket of his sweatshirt, holding something.

"Zoom in on his pocket, he's got something in there," said McGee. Kay hit the controls for the security camera they had tapped into and got a close-up look.

"I can't tell what it is," she told him. "But he's already at his car. Wait, he's looking around…"

Tomassen was looking around the parking garage. He was parked not far from the exit, and he seemed to be searching for something. Turning away from his car, he started walking toward the exit, right to where Tony and Ziva were sitting.

"Damn! Tony! Ziva! He's headed straight your way!" McGee shouted into the mike, but still all he got back was static. Tearing off his headset, he threw open the doors to the van and started running straight for Tomassen.

"Tim, wait!" shouted Kay, pulling her own headset off and starting after him. But he already had a huge lead on her, and her short legs just couldn't keep up with his long ones.

Tomassen heart the shouting and turned. Seeing McGee, he pulled his hand from his pocket, revealing the gun he had hidden there. Pointing it at McGee, he fired twice. McGee went down.

"Tim! No!" Kay's cry was torn from her throat. Tomassen looked up to see her barreling down on him, her own weapon pulled. He raised his gun, but she fired first. One. Two. Three shots rang out, and Tomassen slumped to the ground.

By this time Tony and Ziva had heard the commotion and were running toward them, weapons drawn. Tony stopped to check Tomassen's pulse while Ziva and Kay went straight for McGee. Kay reached him first.

"Ziva! Call an ambulance!" Kay shouted when she saw the blood seeping through Tim's NCIS jacket. As Ziva dialed 911, Kay unzipped the jacket and pulled it open to reveal blood pouring from a wound on Tim's chest. Terrified, she checked for a pulse. It was there, but thready. She placed both of her hands on the wound and pressed down, trying to staunch the blood flowing out. A moment later, another pair of hands were on top of hers, helping to press down harder. Kim looked up to see Ziva's face.

Tony came running up to them, talking on his cell. He hung up and dropped to his knees beside the women.

"Gibbs is on his way," he said, "he'll meet us at the hospital."

"Good," replied Ziva, "the ambulance is coming."

At just that moment, they heard the wail of the ambulance coming closer. Tony went to the exit to get their attention while the women kept pressing down on Tim's chest. The blood was still pouring freely from the gunshot wound.

Kay could barely supress her cries as she watched Tim's lifeblood seeping through her fingers. She prayed the ambulance would get him to the hospital in time.

Tony directed the ambulance toward Tim and ran up to them himself. As the paramedics jumped from the van, he tried to pull the women off Tim so they could get to him. Ziva pulled away, but Kay wouldn't budge.

"Kay, you have to move. The paramedics are here, but you have to move so they can help him." Tony's voice was soft as he held Kay's shoulders and tried to move her back. She didn't move until the medics themselves reached them with the gurney in tow.

"Miss, you need to move now," one of the medics told her. Shaking, she let Tony pull her away from Tim then, letting the man reach Tim's side.

The other medic came to her side and asked, "Miss, are you hurt? Miss? Can you hear me?"

Kay didn't register the voice talking to her for a minute. Then she looked up, eyes unfocused, at the medic.

"I'm not hurt," she said. The man didn't seem to believe her. He took hold of her hands and examined them. She looked down, dazed. "It's not my blood," she told the medic.

"Come on, let's get him to the hospital!" yelled the other medic, who had been tending to Tim's injury. Kim looked up to see the two men move Tim to the gurney. She saw that heavy bandages had been laid on Tim's chest, and one medic kept his hand on them, pressing down on the wound. They rolled him into the waiting ambulance, then climbed in beside him, pulling the doors closed. The ambulance rolled out of the garage, siren wailing as it hurried up the street.

Kay closed her eyes. _This can't really be happening, she thought._

But as she opened her eyes, she found Tony and Ziva looking at each other, then at her.

"Come on," said Tony, "let's get to the hospital, too." He put his arm around Kay's waist and helped her stand up. She was shaky at first, but then her legs steadied. They went to the van first, pulling out wet wipes for Kay and Ziva to wash their hands with. Then they locked it and walked back to the sedan where Ziva and Tony had been waiting during the stakeout. Kay sat in the back seat, her mind running in circles. She kept picturing Tomassen raising the gun, pointing it at Tim. Two shots fired. Tim crumpling to the ground.

Silently, Kay began to sob.


	4. Chapter 4

Kay had managed to stifle her sobs by the time they reached the hospital. They parked near the ER entrance, then went inside to the information desk.

"Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Agent Timothy McGee was brought in a little while ago." Tony told the lady behind the desk. She checked her computer.

"Agent McGee is in surgery right now. You can wait in the waiting room at the end of the hall." She pointed the way.

Tony thanked her and motioned for Ziva and Kay to follow him. As they reached the waiting room, they found Gibbs already there.

"What happened?" Gibbs asked.

Nobody spoke for a moment, then Tony and Ziva looked at Kay. She took a deep breath and began speaking.

"We were staking out Tomassen's apartment. He came out, holding something in the front pocket of his sweatshirt. He got to his car, but then I think he spotted Tony and Ziva. Tim and I couldn't reach them on the headsets. He pulled a gun, and Tim ran from the van toward him. Tomassen turned the gun on Tim an-and…" she couldn't continue. Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. Tony took over the story from there.

"Tomassen fired at McGee. Ziva and I had already made it out of the car, but we weren't close enough to take a shot at him. Instead, Kay shot him three times." Tony thought for a moment. "He's dead." he said, almost as an afterthought. "I called an ambulance and local police while Ziva and Kay went to McGee. He'd been shot in the chest. Ambulance arrived and stabilized McGee, and local LEOs were there, so we left for the hospital."

Ziva spoke up, "Do you have any information on McGee's condition?"

"Only a little," Gibbs replied, "All I really know is that the bullet hit near his heart, and they're having to do emergency surgery on him now." He looked to the end of the hallway, where a man in a doctor's coat was holding a file and walking toward them. "That's the doc that first saw McGee."

The older man reached them. "Agent Gibbs?" Gibbs nodded. "I have an update for you on Agent McGee's condition, but I'm afraid it's not good. The bullet grazed his heart, tearing some of the muscle. The surgeons are with him now, trying to stop the bleeding and repair the muscle, but he's in critical condition and receiving a blood transfusion." He looked up from his chart. "It will be a while before he's out of surgery. At this point, we can only hope for the best."

Kay had to sit down. She couldn't believe her ears. Tim could actually _die_. The doctor's words kept going through her head. _"Bullet grazed his heart…trying to stop the bleeding…critical condition."_ She shoved her fist against her mouth to stop the sobs that threatened to escape.

She didn't hear Gibbs thank the doctor, or the short conversation he had with Tony and Ziva. The next thing she knew, he was sitting down next to her, putting one arm around her shoulders in a fatherly gesture that just seemed to come naturally to him. He pressed his lips to the top of her head and said, "He's going to be ok. Tim's tougher than we usually give him credit for, and he has the best team of doctors attending to him."

Upon hearing that, Kay's sobs could no longer be stopped. She turned and cried into Gibbs' shoulder.

"I can't lose him, Gibbs. I just can't. Not when I haven't told him…" She couldn't even say the words out loud.

"Shhh, shhh. He'll be ok. Just wait and see. You'll get your chance to tell him how you feel."

The words took a moment to sink in. Then Kay sat up straight and looked at Gibbs' face, the surprise plain on hers.

"How-how do you know?" she whispered. Gibbs smiled.

"You just told me." he replied.

"Are you angry? I know Rule Number Twelve says…"

Gibbs pulled her back into an embrace and stroked her hair. "Don't worry about it. I would never had known if I hadn't seen your reaction today. But tell me-" he pulled back and looked her in the eye, "how long has this been going on?"

Kay swallowed hard. "About six months now."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "That long, huh? Either you two can really separate your work and professional lives, or you're damn good at lying."

Kay had to laugh a little at that. "Maybe a little of both." she admitted. "We do keep things professional on the job, and yes, we've had to lie a few times about where we are when we're called in to work and we're technically off-duty." She smiled tremulously up at Gibbs. "You're really not mad?"

Gibbs smiled at her again. "No, I'm not mad. As long as you two aren't making out in the elevator or coming up with excuses to slip down to the forensics lab to be alone, I'm ok with it. Just one more question: who else knows?"

Kay smiled. "Only Ziva, and I didn't know that she knew until least week." She blushed a little. "She saw us kissing in the parking garage after work one day."

Gibbs had to chuckle at that. "She's very observant."

Just then, Tony and Ziva came back into the waiting room, Abby right behind them. Gibbs stood up.

"Gibbs!" Abby cried as she threw herself into his arms. "Tony called me and told me that Tim's in heart surgery. Is that true? Tell me he'll be ok!"

Gibbs hugged Abby close. "He'll be ok, Abs. The doctors are still working on him, but he'll be ok."

Abby wiped her teary eyes, smudging makeup on her face. "What happened?"

Gibbs looked to Tony, who started relating the events of the day. When he was through, Abby was crying harder than before.

"Timmy's in critical condition?! Oh my God! Will he be ok?" Abby shook her head. "Of course he'll be ok. He's Timmy. Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts." She visibly calmed down. She looked again to Gibbs. "How long before he's out of surgery? When can we see him?"

"We don't know. All we know is that he's in surgery, not how long he'll be there. I'm sure the doctor will come out and tell us when he's out and we can see him." replied Gibbs.

"Okay. But he'll be ok, right?" Abby asked again. She seemed to need the constant reassurance.

"He'll be ok." Gibbs told her, almost as if he was reassuring himself as much as her.

The four of them sat in silence after that, each lost in his or her thoughts. But they all seemed to be thinking the same thing. _What if Tim doesn't make it out alive?_ None of them wanted to voice that question out loud.

After what seemed like an eternity, Gibbs cleared his throat and stood up.

"There's no need to stay here for the rest of the night. I want all of you to go home, get some rest. Tomorrow's Saturday, so we can meet back here in the morning. I'll leave my number with the receptionist so the doctors can call me and update me on McGee's condition."

Three voices spoke up, all protesting Gibbs' statement.

"This is not up for debate," Gibbs said in his sternest voice. "All of you, go home. There's nothing we can do here. I promise to call each of you as soon as I hear anything from the docs, no matter what time it is."

The others knew there was no point in arguing anymore, so reluctantly they headed for the doors. Tony's, Ziva's, and Kay's cars were still at the office, so they rode the sedan back. The ride there was made in silence, none of them really wanting to talk about what was on each of their minds. They reached the parking garage and each went to his or her own vehicle.

As Kay drove home, she kept thinking about Tim. She still couldn't get the doctor's words out of her mind. _"Bullet grazed his heart…trying to stop the bleeding…critical condition…" _

Kay reached her apartment and went inside. The place seemed so empty without Tim there. She knew that she should probably get something to eat, but she couldn't get up the energy to make something. She looked around at her home, seeing Tim everywhere. There were his running shoes, left from the previous weekend. On the couch was his sweatshirt, the one he loved to change into when he came to her place after work.

Kay entered the bedroom. The sheets were still crumpled from last night; they hadn't bothered to make the bed that morning. His MIT T-shirt was lying on the bed, the one she had planned on wearing that night. Kay couldn't stop the tears from flowing when she saw it. She loved wearing that shirt, and Tim always said it looked better on her than it did on him.

Kay started shedding her clothes, letting them lie where they fell. She pulled the T-shirt over her head. It still had the scent of his cologne on it, that unique Tim smell.

Crying, she lay down in bed. It had seemed small at times when Tim was with her, but now it seemed huge. She missed him. She missed the feel of his body next to hers. She even missed his quiet snoring.

Kim pulled Tim's pillow to her, wrapping herself around it. She didn't think she'd be able to sleep, but, exhausted from the day's events, it claimed her quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Ok, this chapter isn't going to cover a long period of time, even though it's a fairly long chapter. This really focuses in on Kay and her feelings the morning after the events that occured in the last couple of chapters. Enjoy! And please read and review! I'm getting a little depressed at not getting a single review.**

"_Talking 'bout a bunch of shift work. A big ol' pile of shift work…"_

Kay woke with a start to the sound of her phone ringing. That ring tone was for only one person: Gibbs.

She grabbed the phone and was answering before she was even fully awake.

"Gibbs?"

"_Kay, I just got a call from the hospital. McGee is out of surgery."_

Kay looked at the clock. It was just after two in the morning.

"What's the word? How is he?"

"_He's in ICU."_ There was a long pause.

"What else? Come on, Gibbs, I know there's more."

"_He's still in critical condition. He…"_ Gibbs paused again. Kay knew something bad had happened.

"What is it, Gibbs? What happened?" she demanded to know.

"_He went into cardiac arrest while in surgery. They managed to bring him back, and the surgeons repaired the muscle as best they could, but his heart is still under a lot of strain. They're keeping him sedated, and he's on full life support. It's touch-and-go right now."_ Gibbs' voice conveyed his concern.

"Oh, God. Will they let anyone in to see him? Even though he is sedated?" Kay asked.

"_I'm not sure. I know hospital visiting hours start at eight, but I don't know if that includes the ICU. They might be willing to let us in because we're NCIS. I plan on being there at eight, just in case."_

"Okay, I'll be there, too. Does the rest of the team know yet?"

"_Not yet. You're the first person I called. I still have to call the others, including Ducky. I have a feeling they'll be there at first opportunity, too."_ Gibbs sounded tired now.

"Okay, I'll see all of you at the hospital. 'Bye." Kay hung up the phone. She tried to picture Tim, lying in a hospital bed with tubes and monitors hooked up to him. She just couldn't imagine it.

Kay knew she should try to get some more sleep, but sleep didn't come as quickly as it had the night before. Images and words were running through her mind and wouldn't let her rest. She tossed and turned for a couple of hours, then gave up. Getting out of bed, she stripped Tim's shirt off and laid it back on the bed. Then, shedding the rest of her clothing, she went into the bathroom and started the shower.

Getting in, she let the hot water run down her face, mingling with the tears that had started to fall. Her Tim, all alone in the hospital, not even aware of what was going on around him. _"It's touch-and-go right now."_ Gibbs had said. What exactly did that mean? Would Tim pull through?

Kay knew she had to be at the hospital as soon as they would let her in. She had to be there for him, even if he didn't know she was there. If she had to pull rank and flash her badge in order to get in, then so be it.

Kay smiled grimly. She had a feeling that Gibbs, and the rest of the team, too, would be doing the exact same thing, if it became necessary.

She turned in the shower, wetting and shampooing her long hair. As she scrubbed her body, she could almost feel Tim's touch. They'd enjoyed getting showers together, even if they didn't make love. Just touching and feeling each other, soaping each other down, had been an act of comfort and a way of connecting. Kay missed that dearly now. She swore to herself that if, no, _when_, Tim got out of the hospital, she'd make sure he knew how she felt. She'd never take touching him for granted again.

Finishing in the shower, Kay turned off the water and stepped out, grabbing her towel. Drying herself off, she looked at her reflection in the steamed mirror. Dark circles had formed under her eyes from the strain and sleepless night before. She sighed. She rarely ever bothered with makeup, but it looked like she might need some today. Then she decided, to hell with it. She wasn't trying to impress anybody, and the only people who would notice would be the ones who knew how rarely she wore makeup anyway.

Kay finished drying off and walked back into the bedroom. She tried to decide whether to wear work-type clothing, in case someone tried to block her access to Tim, or just wear normal weekend clothes. She decided on the latter. There was a good chance she'd be spending most, if not all, the day at the hospital, and she wanted to be as comfortable as possible.

She grabbed her jeans and a faded T-shirt that had "U.S.A." written across the front. Dressing quickly, she looked at the clock again. It was barely after five o'clock.

Walking out of the bedroom, she went to the kitchen and started looking in the fridge for something to fix for breakfast. She stood there for a full five minutes before really registering what she was looking at. Thoughts of Tim kept whirling in her head. She wasn't feeling very hungry, so she settled on some eggs and toast. She grabbed the eggs and butter from the fridge, then closed the door. Popping a couple of pieces of bread into the toaster, she started frying her eggs.

Kay wasn't paying much attention to what she was doing, just working on auto-pilot. She finished up breakfast and put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Then she walked to the living room and turned on the TV. She flipped through a few infomercials before settling on the morning news. She wondered if news of the shooting the day before would come on. She tried to relax, knowing she had at least an hour before she should leave for the hospital. News of the weather bored her, but then she heard the words "NCIS agent" and turned her attention fully to the TV.

"_Yesterday afternoon, a shoot-out occurred between a local former Navy officer and NCIS agents. The former officer, Jon Tomassen, was killed by one of the agents, while another agent was severely injured. That agent is currently in critical condition, and doctors are cautiously optimistic about his recovery."_

"_In other news…"_ Kay muted the TV. All the drama of the day before, and the story was only a couple of sentences long. She wondered if it would even be mentioned when Tim was out of the hospital. Somehow, unless something else on the case came up for the newshounds to follow, she doubted it. She guessed the shooting of the man she loved so dearly, the events that shook her to the core, just weren't as momentous to the rest of the world.

Kay started feeling depressed. She felt like the entire world should know about what happened. That everyone should feel the same pain and fear she felt at the moment. How could they not care? Why was everyone else just going about their lives as if nothing had happened when she could barely breathe when she remembered the shots ringing out, Tim crumpling to the ground?

She tried to get a grip on herself. So what if the majority of the world didn't care, didn't even give a second thought to the nameless, faceless agent fighting for his life? _She_ knew. _She _cared. And she knew that when she got to the hospital, there would be others there, people she cared about, trusted, who would know and care about Tim just as she did.

The thought of the rest of the team being there, of not being alone, calmed her. She thought of Gibbs, the fatherly figure. DiNozzo, the cut-up, the one who could always manage a "probie" joke. Ziva, the silent, stoic one. Abby, who could lift people's spirits by just being there, with her pigtails and sheer exuberance. She also thought of Ducky, his comforting presence, who would likely have a story or two to share with them.

Kay hadn't really realized until now just how much she relied on them, just as much as she relied on Tim. They had become constant figures in her life, even though she'd only been with them seven months. She really couldn't imagine them out of her life.

She checked the clock yet again. Six-forty. It was way to early, but she decided to leave for the hospital anyway. Turning the TV off, she reached for her sneakers and slipped them on. She had to smile a little to herself as she thought about how Tim would tease her for never tying or untying her laces, preferring to leave them just loose enough to slip on and off.

Kay left the apartment, making sure to lock the door behind her. She knew she had a long day ahead of her.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ok, this may be the last chapter for a while. I'm getting kinda busy with kids about to be out of school. But I hope you enjoy this chapter, and PLEASE review!**

Kay reached the hospital at about seven-fifteen. She checked the floor for the ICU, then took the elevator up. As she approached the receptionist's desk, she saw two familiar figures standing there.

"Gibbs, Ducky," she called out. Both men turned to look at her. Gibbs met her halfway to the desk and engulfed her in a hug. After a moment, they broke apart and Kay walked to Ducky, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Any news on Tim?"

Ducky shook his head. "I'm afraid not much yet, my dear. The doctor hasn't been in to see him yet, so we can't go in."

"At least we won't have to wait until eight to go in, unless the doctor takes longer than that to get here." said Gibbs. "His sister, Sarah, has been contacted and she'll be in later today, but she's already given permission for the team to see him once the doc's done."

Kay breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad she'll be here. I know how close she and Tim are."

Just then, a short, stocky man came to the nurse's desk. He spoke quietly to her for a moment, then looked to the trio watching him.

"I'm assuming you three are here for Agent McGee?" Seeing them nod, he continued, "I'll be in to see him in a moment. Looking over his chart, his condition hasn't seemed to change since the last doctor saw him. Once I've finished examining him, you may go in to see him, two at a time, providing he is stable. Please wait in the waiting room until I am done."

"Thank you, doctor," replied Gibbs. He led the other two to the small waiting room down the hall.

It seemed an eternity before the doctor entered the room where the three were silently waiting.

"I'm upgrading Agent McGee's status to stable." he said. He looked at his watch. "It's technically not visiting hours yet, but I'll allow you to go in and see him. He's still heavily sedated, so don't expect him to respond to any stimulus. He's in room 512, take a right at the first hallway and go down three doors. Remember, only two allowed in the room with him at a time."

"You two go ahead and see him," said Ducky. "I'll wait near the nurse's desk in case the others show up."

"Thanks, Duck." said Gibbs. Kay just nodded her thanks.

The two of them followed the doctor's instructions to Tim's room. Kay couldn't stifle the small cry that came from her when she saw all the machines hooked up to him. Gibbs put his arm around her shoulders.

"You ok for this?" he asked gently.

Kay nodded. "I need to be with him."

Gibbs squeezed her shoulders once before letting his arm drop to his side. He walked to Tim's right side, but couldn't get very close since that was the side the IV's were hooked up to.

Kay walked to Tim's left side, which only had a pulse ox monitor on his finger and a blood pressure cuff on his upper arm. She gently lifted his left hand and held it in both of hers.

They both watched Tim sleep for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Gibbs was thinking about all the times McGee had broken codes that led to a break in a case, and all the times he'd find the most esoteric information that would ultimately lead to an arrest. Tim was the best at what he did.

Kay was thinking about the last evening they had spent together. God, was it really only a few days ago? Tim had picked up Chinese food for dinner and gone to her place. They had found a good movie on TV and sat on the couch, eating and watching the movie. She hadn't even had to tell him what she wanted for dinner; as soon as they had decided on Chinese he knew she'd have the shrimp with lobster sauce, and he'd get the Kung Pao chicken. They'd each get wonton soup and share an order of Crab Rangoon.

Kay almost started crying at the thought of that night. After they'd finished eating, they'd simply cuddled on the couch and watched the rest of the movie. A small smile played over her lips as she thought about how he'd been so tired he'd half fallen asleep by the time the movie was over. She'd had to nudge him awake and then almost strip him down once they'd gotten to the bedroom. He'd fallen asleep immediately, but she'd lain awake for a little while, watching his chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm. If she'd known the next time she'd see him sleep would be under tubes and bandages…

Kay stopped the thought. She had to keep positive, both for her sake and for his. _When he wakes up,_ she thought, _he's going to need support to get through this, and having me bawl over him like a baby won't help._

Kay was so lost in thought she didn't notice Gibbs slip out the door. Her eyes were for Tim only. The next thing she knew, Ziva was in the room, standing at the foot of Tim's bed.

"He does not look well," she said. "He is much paler than usual." Ziva moved to the side of the bed, glancing at all the monitors.

Kay simply nodded. She surreptitiously wiped the back of her hand across her cheeks, wiping away the tears that had accumulated there. Then she took a slow, shaky breath. She looked to Ziva.

"When will his sister be here?" Ziva asked.

"I'm not sure," replied Kay. "Sometime this afternoon, I think." She looked down at Tim's sleeping form again. "Ziva, have you ever loved someone, then almost lost them?"

Ziva didn't respond immediately. "Yes," she said simply. "At least, I believed I was in love with someone. Then he was taken from me before I could work out my feelings for him."

Kay looked up at Ziva again. "How did you handle it?"

Ziva looked Kay in the eye. "I let myself mourn, then I moved on. I do still think of him very often, but I have learned that you cannot let grief take hold of you forever." She cocked her head at Kay. "Are you saying that you do love McGee?"

Kay felt the tears fall down her cheeks, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. "Yes. I love him. I don't know what I'll do if I lose him."

Ziva moved around the bed to stand next to Kay. In a very un-Ziva-like move, she put her arm around Kay's shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

Kay couldn't stop the tears from flowing freely now. She sobbed into the slightly taller woman's shoulder uncontrollably, while Ziva simply held her. After a moment, Kay pulled away.

"I'm sorry," Kay apologized, "I can't help myself from crying every time I think I might lose him."

Ziva patted Kay's shoulder, then pulled her arms away. "I do understand," she said softly. "It is…difficult to think of such things. But you must stay strong, and have faith. Pray that he will recover fully, and tell him how you feel when he awakes."

Kay nodded. She ran the heels of her hands to wipe away the fresh tears.

Ziva patted Kay on the shoulder again, then said, "I will leave you alone now. A few others have arrived, so I'm sure one of them will be in shortly."

Kay gave Ziva a tearful smile. "Thanks, Ziva." Ziva smiled and nodded, then she was gone.

Kay turned once again to Tim. Holding his hand again, she leaned down and whispered in his ear, "I'm here. I love you, baby. Please don't leave me." She moved her head up and kissed his cheek, then ran her thumb across his cheek to wipe away her tear that fell.

"Why are _you_ still here?" came an angry voice from the doorway. Kay turned in surprise to find Abby standing there, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. "You shouldn't even be here."

"Why-why not?" asked Kay, very confused.

"Because it's _you're_ fault he's here, that's why! He wouldn't have almost died if you had been doing your job!" was Abby's reply. "If you'd had his back like you should have, he wouldn't have gotten shot!"

Kay was stunned. "Abby, I-I did everything I could. I just couldn't keep up…"

"Yeah, you couldn't keep up. That's a great excuse for almost getting your partner killed."

Abby's scathing tone cut right to Kay's heart. She was voicing thoughts that Kay had been consciously pushing out of her mind, thoughts of guilt and self-blame. Kay tried to stammer out something else, but Abby cut her off.

"Timmy cares about you, he has since you joined the team, and this is how you repay him? By letting him get shot by a psycho?"

"Abby, I care about him, too. And I didn't just _let_ him get shot!" Tears were pouring down Kay's face by now; she couldn't stop them.

Abby's glare didn't abate. If anything, her scowl became more pronounced.

"You don't care about Timmy, not the way I do. I would have shot the bastard down before he even had a chance to raise his gun at Tim. I would have…" Abby couldn't even continue. Tears were streaking down her face, even as she glowered at Kay.

Kay couldn't take it anymore. Sobbing, she pushed her way past Abby and down the hall. Instead of turning left to go back to the waiting room, to all those prying eyes, she turned right and ran down the hall until she found the ladies' room. She slumped against the sink counter. Abby was right. If she, Kay, had done her job, if she had protected her lover the way she should have, he wouldn't be buried under numerous tubes and hooked up to so many monitors.

Abby stood in the doorway to Tim's room, still crying. She moved toward Tim's bed slowly, watching his face intently. She was still furious at Kay, blaming her for Tim's condition. _If she really cared about him,_ Abby thought, _she would have protected him. I would have protected him, if I'd been there._ A part of her knew she was being unfair to Kay, but that part was buried under all the pain of Tim being hurt so badly and the need to blame _someone_ for what happened to him.

She moved to Tim's bedside, picking up his hand. "Timmy," she said softly, "come back to us. Come back to _me_. You know I love you, Timmy. Please don't die." Tears poured down her face, streaking her makeup. She listened to the sounds of the machines in the room, the _whoosh_ of the breathing machine and the steady _thump, thump_ of the heart monitor. She jumped when she heard the familiar voice behind her.

"Abigail, dear, don't fret." said Ducky in his crisp, cultured voice. "The doctor has said that Timothy is stable, which is a good thing. I believe our young man will make a full recovery, as should you." He moved up to place a gentle hand on Abby's shoulder.

Abby turned toward him. "But what if he's not ok, Ducky? I mean, heart surgery is tricky, right? What if his heart doesn't heal the way it's supposed to? What if…" She couldn't continue the thought.

"Dear, heart surgery can be tricky, but this hospital has one of the best team of surgeons around. I know the lead surgeon personally, and I can vouch for his experience and skill. When he said that Timothy will pull through, I believe him."

Abby leaned down and gave the Englishman a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Ducky. I needed to hear that."

They both watched Tim in silence for a few minutes, then Ducky spoke up.

"I believe that Anthony has not yet had a chance to visit with our patient. I'm going back to the waiting room to allow him in." He patted Abby once more on the shoulder, then turned and left the room.

A few minutes later, Tony walked in.

"Wow," he breathed, "he looks pretty bad. I mean, I knew it was bad, but this…" He just shook his head.

"I know," replied Abby, tears threatening again. "But Ducky said he'll be ok."

"Well, if the Duckman says Probie will be ok, then I believe him." said Tony comfortingly. He moved up behind Abby and put his arms around her waist. She leaned back into his embrace gratefully. He kissed the top of her head, then put his chin on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Abs. McGeek'll be back to annoying us with his tech-talk in no time."

Abby had to smile. "He doesn't annoy me with it." She thought a moment. "At least, not most of the time. But, then again, I can understand what he's talking about." She elbowed Tony playfully.

"Hey, ouch! Ok, so you two geeks will be back to talking about computers and facial recognitions and your mass spec in no time." Tony grinned down at his favorite Goth.

She smiled back up at him, comforted for now. Turning back to the bed, stroked Tim's hair in a familiar gesture. She leaned over and kissed his forehead, then straightened back up.

"I guess we should get back to the waiting room. I don't know who else might want to come back and visit with him." Briefly, Abby thought about Kay. She didn't know if she could stand to see Kay back in the waiting room, possibly being comforted herself.

Her anger flared up again. Kay didn't deserve to be comforted. It was _her_ fault this had happened.

Her resolve bolstered, Abby turned to follow Tony out the door. She still didn't know what she'd say if she saw Kay, but she knew she wouldn't keep quiet. It just wasn't in her nature to stay silent when it came to her feelings.

Fortunately, Kay wasn't in the waiting room. Abby gave a brief thought as to where she might be, then she put it out of her mind. _Here_ was the team that Tim belonged with. _These _were the people who truly cared for him, and that was all that mattered.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long in being published. I had a lot of things going on, including a 5 hour drive just to drop off our dogs with relatives and getting a spring cold. Anyway, here it is, and I hope you enjoy it!**

After a while, Kay's crying finally abated. Fortunately, no one had come into the ladies' room while she was there. She stared at herself in the mirror, seeing her puffy, red eyes, along with the shadows from before. She couldn't get Abby's accusations out of her mind. She had been repressing her own thoughts that ran along the same lines. She knew it was her fault that Tim had been hurt.

She wanted to go back to the waiting room, back to the people who might understand. But she dreaded seeing Abby there. She knew how much Abby cared about Tim, and she knew that Tim still cared about her, possibly more than he let on.

How much did Tim care about Abby? He never expressed any love for Kay, even though she knew that he cared about her. But he often spoke of Abby, too; of the many times they had had a laugh about something, or about the times they'd worked on cases closely together.

Kay couldn't stand to think along those lines anymore. She splashed cold water on her face, then dried off. She was going back to Tim's room, whether Abby was there or not. She wasn't sure what she'd say or do if Abby was there, but she couldn't stay away forever.

When Kay reached Tim's room, she looked in quietly. There was a young woman there with Tim, holding his hand. Kay didn't recognize her, but she walked in quietly.

"Hi," said Kay.

The woman turned around. "Hi," she said. Kay knew immediately who it was.

"You're Tim's sister, aren't you?" asked Kay.

"Yes, I'm Sarah. You must be Kay, I recognize your voice from the phone ." replied Sarah.

Kay smiled. "Hi, Sarah. It's nice to meet you in person finally, even under the circumstances."

Sarah nodded. Then she asked, "Have you talked to the doctor yet? The nurse didn't tell me much."

"Last time I talked to him was early this morning. He said Tim is in stable condition, even though he's still on full life support and sedated. He didn't say how long he'll be this way; I don't think they really know yet."

Just then a man in a lab coat walked in.

"I'm Doctor Carlson," he said. "I'm the attending doctor. I'm here to check on Agent McGee."

Both women introduced themselves. The doctor moved to the monitors near the head of the bed. He made some notes on the chart he was carrying, then turned back to the women waiting anxiously.

"Well, Agent McGee is in stable condition. His blood pressure is a little high, but that's to be expected with the extra strain on his heart. From what I can see, he's not in any danger. In fact, I think that he could be taken off life support soon."

"How soon, doctor?" asked Sarah.

"You're his next of kin, correct?"

Sarah nodded.

"Well, all we need is a signed permission form from you. Of course, we'll continue to monitor him closely, just in case."

"Ok," Sarah agreed. "As long as you think it's safe, I'll sign."

The doctor nodded. "I'll be back in a few minutes with the form." He left the room.

Sarah sighed. "You think he'll be ok?" she asked Kay.

Kay didn't answer immediately. "Well, our M.E. vouches for the lead surgeon, and he says Tim will pull through, so, yeah, I think he'll be ok." she paused a moment, then said softly, "He has to be ok."

Sarah smiled at Kay. "You know, he's talked about you a lot; almost every time I've talked to him, he's mentioned you. I've never heard him talk so much about a person he's dating. You must really mean a lot to him."

Kay smiled slightly. "He means a lot to me." She almost asked if Tim had mentioned Abby as well, but she was afraid of the answer.

Just then, the doctor came back into the room with a nurse..

"Here is the form, Miss McGee. If you'll sign this, we'll go ahead and take him off life support."

Sarah took the clipboard from the doctor and signed her name.

The doctor and his assistant began by pulling the breathing tube from Tim's throat. He gagged a little as it came out, but still slept. The two continued to remove devices from Tim until all that was left were a couple of patches on Tim's chest to keep track of his heartbeat, his IV, and the blood pressure cuff. The doctor ran the machine to inflate the cuff, then nodded at the results, seemingly satisfied.

"He looks good. Blood pressure is still a little high, but not dangerously so. We'll slowly reduce the amount of sedative he's getting through the IV, so he should wake up some time this evening. I'm not positive as to how lucid he'll be for a while, but that's one of the things we'll continue to monitor."

Sarah shook hands with the doctor. "Thank you." she said. She turned back to Kay. "Will you be staying?"

"As long as you and the doctor are ok with it." Kay replied.

Sarah smiled. "I'm fine with it," she said. "I need to call my folks and let them know how Tim is doing."

Kay nodded. "I can leave the room, if you want."

"No, it's ok." Sarah said. She pulled a cell phone from her pocket and began dialing numbers.

Kay moved so that she was standing at Tim's side. She took his hand, being careful because it was the hand with the IV in it. She vaguely heard Sarah's voice, paying more attention to the sound of Tim's breathing. She laid one hand on his chest, over his heart. The steady _thump, thump_ reassured her.

"_He's going to be ok," _a voice in her mind assured her, "_he's going to be ok."_

"_No thanks to you,"_ another voice piped up. _"You're the reason he's in this shape to begin with. You weren't fast enough to stop that bastard from shooting Tim. You don't deserve him. He's not going to want to see you when he wakes up. He'll want his sister, the others, probably Abby there. Those will be the people he still trusts, the people he'll need."_

Tears formed in Kay's eyes again. She couldn't stop feeling responsible, feeling guilty for what happened to Tim.

Kay had almost forgotten that Sarah was there until she spoke up.

"I'd like to talk to the others, if they're here." she said.

"They're in the waiting room," Kay replied, "I can show you the way."

"That's not necessary, just tell me how to get there." Sarah was silent for a minute. "I like knowing someone is here for Tim, even if he won't wake up for a while."

"Ok," said Kay. She gave Sarah directions to the waiting room, then resumed her silent vigil over Tim.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. My life has been really crazy lately. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed and added this story to their story alert. I'll try to get the next chapter (which will be the last chapter) up ASAP. Enjoy!**

It was getting later into the afternoon when Kay finally returned to the waiting room. She was relieved to see that Abby wasn't there. She wasn't ready to face her yet.

However, Sarah and the rest of the team were there. They looked up at her approach.

"How's he doing?" asked Gibbs.

"Same as before," Kay replied. "Still not awake."

"I'm going back to him," said Sarah, "Anyone want to come with me?"

Tony spoke up, "I'd like to go, too." He stood up and followed Sarah out of the waiting room.

Kay sat down and leaned her head back against the wall. She felt exhausted and emotionally drained. In a way she wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep, but she didn't want to miss Tim waking up. Instead, she simply sat there, not really paying attention to what was going on around her. Thoughts were whirling in her head, going too fast for her to catch any one of them.

Then she heard the voice she'd been dreading. She opened her eyes to see Abby standing there. Abby completely ignored Kay and spoke only to Gibbs.

"Any news on Tim yet?" she asked.

Gibbs glanced at Kay before answering.

"Still asleep. Sarah and Tony are in with him now."

Just then, Tony came running into the waiting room.

"He's waking up!" he cried.

Kay started to stand up, but Abby was running out of the room before she had a chance. Kay sat back down. All her guilt and doubts came back to her. Of course Tim would want his sister and his best friend to be there when he woke up.

Kay just sat there as Gibbs questioned Tony.

"How awake is he? Is he talking to anyone?"

Tony answered. "He's not very lucid right now, probably from the pain medicines. But he did recognize me and Sarah." Tony glanced at Kay, but she didn't see it. "He was asking for someone, but his speech was so slurred we couldn't tell who."

_**In Tim's room…**_

Abby ran to the door of Tim's room, then skidded to a halt just outside. She took a moment to compose herself, then walked into the room.

The first thing she noticed was Tim's eyes open and fixed on his sister. He seemed to be trying to say something, but was having trouble getting the words out. Abby walked in and stood at his side, picking up his hand.

"Hey McGee," she said softly. "How's it going?"

Tim swiveled his head to look at Abby. His eyes were a little unfocused, but he recognized her anyway.

"Hey Abby." was all he said. He tried to say something else, but his eyes closed, then opened again.

"I'm going to find the doctor and let him know Tim's awake." Sarah told Abby. She leaned down and gave Tim a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back later." Then she left Abby alone in the room with Tim.

Abby looked down at her friend. She could tell he was trying to stay awake and say something, but having difficulty with it. She leaned down close to his ear.

"It's ok, Timmy. You don't have to stay awake. It's enough to know that you are waking up."

Tim sighed and closed his eyes. He squeezed Abby's hand to let her know he was still awake, for the moment.

Abby dashed away tears of relief that had formed in her eyes. She kissed Tim's cheek, then whispered, "I love you, Tim."

Tim gave a small smile and quietly said, "Love you, Kay."

Abby froze. "Tim?" she whispered, but received no response. He had already fallen back to sleep.

_**In the waiting room…**_

The team sat quietly, waiting for more news of Tim. Kay sat with them, wondering if she would even get to see him. She doubted Abby would be out soon, and there were the others who wanted to see him, too.

Abby came walking back into the waiting room. She had her head down and was moving very slowly.

"He's asleep again," she told the others, "but he kind of asked for someone before he fell asleep."

For the first time, Abby looked straight at Kay. "He wants you." she told her.

Kay couldn't keep the look of surprise off her face. "He asked for me?"

Abby just nodded, then sat down.

Kay stood up slowly. She desperately wanted to see Tim, but was a little unsure. She walked out of the waiting room and toward Tim's room. When she got closer, she saw Sarah with the doctor. She walked slowly up to them.

"He woke up for a little while. He recognized us, even though he couldn't focus very well," Sarah was telling the doctor.

"Well, it's a good sign that he is waking up. He may be awake off and on for a while, until the sedatives are out of his system." the doctor replied.

Sarah looked up at Kay's approach.

"He's asleep again, but you're welcome to sit with him," she told Kay, "I have to leave, but I'll be back tomorrow."

"Ok, I'll stay with him," Kay told her. She entered the room and looked at Tim. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Kay sat on the edge of the bed and took Tim's hand.

"Tim," she whispered, "I'm here. Abby said you wanted me, so I'm here. I'll stay as long as you want me to. I hope you wake up again, but if you need to sleep, I understand."

Kay squeezed Tim's hand gently, and was startled to feel him squeeze back. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He seemed to stare straight ahead for a moment, then turned to face her. His eyes were unfocused, but she knew he saw her, anyway.

"Kay…" he whispered.

Tears welled up in Kay's eyes. "I'm here, baby. I'm right here." She brought his hand up to her lips and kissed the back. Then she leaned down and gently kissed his lips. She started to pull back, but then felt his hand on the back of her head. Their faces were close together, but far enough apart for her to see his eyes. They were focused on her.

"Kay…" he said again. He seemed to be trying to say something else, but having trouble getting the words out. He closed his eyes, then opened them again. They were now completely fixed on her.

"Kay," he said softly, "Lo…love you."

Kay couldn't believe her ears. Had he really said he loved her?

"I love you, Tim." she said. She saw a smile play across his lips, then his hand pulled her down for another kiss.

"Whoa," said a voice from the doorway. "Am I interrupting something here?"

Kay broke the kiss and looked toward the door. Tony was standing there, a startled expression on his face.

"Yes, you are," Kay told him, still smiling. She looked at Tim. He also had a soft smile on his face. "But I think it's ok, for now."

Tony walked further into the room. "Hey, Probie," he said to Tim, "you've been holding out on me."

Tim smiled and looked at Tony. "None…none of your business." he told him.

Kay had to laugh at the almost offended look on Tony's face.

"We couldn't tell you," she said, "or you might have accidentally let Gibbs know."

"Hey, I wouldn't have told him!" Tony said. "I can keep a secret."

"Uh-huh," Kay said, "If you had known, would you have stopped asking me out?"

Tony looked offended again. "Of course! I wouldn't muscle in on my friend's girl. After all, he's had so few…"

Kay grabbed a pillow from the chair next to the bed and threw it at Tony. It smacked him right in the face.

"See?" she told him, "You would have made a comment like that and Gibbs would have known something was up."

Tony picked the pillow up from the floor and tossed it back at the chair.

"I wouldn't make a comment like that in front of Gibbs." he told them.

"You just did." came another voice from the hallway. Gibbs was standing there, coffee cup in hand and a small smile on his face.

Tony had a "deer-in-the-headlights" look on his face.

"Uh, hi boss," he said, looking over at Tim and Kay. Tim looked a little apprehensive, but Kay was almost laughing. "Um, aren't there only supposed to be two visitors in the room at a time? I'll leave."

Gibbs stopped him. "I'm not in the room, I'm outside the doorway."

Tim still had a worried look on his face. He kept looking between Gibbs and Kay. She saw the look and leaned down to give him a quick kiss.

"It's ok," she told him, "he knows."

This only seemed to make Tim more nervous. "Are we in trouble?" he asked.

Kay looked to Gibbs. He smiled at both of them.

"You're not in trouble," he assured Tim. "I've already told Kay that as long as you can keep your personal relationship separate from your professional one, I'm ok with it."

Tim let out a large sigh of relief. He looked at Kay again and smiled. His eyes started to droop again.

Kay noticed and stroked his cheek. "Getting sleepy again?" she asked him.

He just nodded. His eyes drooped even further, but he seemed to be fighting it.

"It's ok, sweetheart," Kay told him, "go ahead and go back to sleep. We'll be here when you wake up."

Tim sighed and smiled. He let his eyes close completely. He squeezed Kay's hand one more time, then his whole body relaxed. His breathing became deep and regular.

Kay smiled affectionately. She looked over at Tony and Gibbs. They were both watching her, Tony curiously and Gibbs patiently. She smiled at both of them.

"I guess y'all want to stay with him for a while?" she asked.

Gibbs just nodded and Tony said, "Yeah, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind," Kay replied. "I'll go back to the waiting room for a while."

She kissed Tim's cheek and laid his hand down by his side. Then she walked past to two waiting men and turned back toward the waiting room. As she drew closer, she started to wonder about Abby. She had certainly seemed down when she had told Kay that Tim wanted her. Kay began to wonder just how much Abby cared about Tim. Kay wasn't worried about how Tim felt anymore; after all, he had just told her he loved her. But she still didn't know about Abby.

Kay sighed. It seemed as though she and Abby were going to have to have a talk about Tim. Kay didn't want to hurt Abby's feelings; the two women had become friends over the past seven months. But she also needed to know how much Abby cared about Tim. They needed to work things out, for Tim's sake and the sake of their relationship.

Kay approached the waiting room cautiously. She wasn't sure what was waiting for her there. But whatever was to come, she would work her hardest to keep both her relationships with Tim and with Abby intact.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Ok, here's the final chapter of the "Tim and Kay, Part 2" saga. Sorry it took so long (lots of personal issues came up, including a possible surgery in the next few weeks), but I hope it's been worth the wait. I'm debating on a "Tim and Kay, Part 3" series, but it's not fleshed-out enough to try and write, as it will just be frustrating for me, and likely for y'all as well. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy! Reviews are always welcome and appreciated.**

As Kay got nearer to the waiting room, she became more nervous with every step. She really wanted to speak with Abby alone, but Abby could make a scene right there in the waiting room. Kay wanted to avoid that at all costs.

Kay reached the waiting room and looked inside. The rest of the team, sans Abby, were there, talking quietly amongst themselves. Kay walked in.

"Hey, y'all." was all she said.

The others looked up. Ducky was the first to speak up.

"How is Timothy?" he asked.

Kay replied, "He's asleep again, or at least he was when I left. He seems to be drifting in and out of consciousness right now." She looked around the room again. "Where's Abby?"

"She has gone down to the cafeteria." answered Ziva.

Kay nodded. "I'm going down, too. I-need to talk to her."

She left the waiting room and walked to the elevators. While she waited for the lift to come, she thought about what she would say to Abby. She had so many things she wanted to say, but she remembered the look on Abby's face when she told Kay that Tim wanted to see her. Abby had looked so…defeated. Kay didn't want to hurt Abby; she had really come to regard the woman as a close friend. But she also wasn't going to simply give up on Tim. He had told her he loved her, and even if he was still pretty sedated, she believed him.

The elevator finally came and Kay rode it down to the first floor. She walked into the cafeteria and looked around. She spotted Abby sitting alone at one of the tables, a large cup of Caff-Pow in front of her.

Kay slowly walked to Abby's table.

"Hey," she said softly.

Abby raised her head enough to let Kay know she had heard her, but didn't look Kay in the face.

Kay sat down in the chair across from Abby. "We need to talk," she said.

Abby finally looked at Kay. Her mascara had run down her face in rivulets, and her eye makeup was smeared across her face.

"Go ahead, talk," said Abby in a harsh tone.

Kay sighed. This really wasn't going to be easy.

"Abby," she began, "we're friends. We have been almost since I started working with NCIS. I value that friendship. I don't want to see us torn apart by this." Kay ran out of words. Abby was still looking at her, but Kay could see Abby's guard was up.

"What do you expect from me?" asked Abby. "I love Tim. I have for a long time. And I believed he loved me, too." Abby hung her head. "But he doesn't. He loves you now. He doesn't care about me anym-more." With that last sentence, Abby started to cry.

Kay reached out and put her hand over Abby's. "That's not true," she said. "Tim does care about you. I see it, hear it everyday. The two of you have always been close. Hell, he got his ass tattooed for you. That's a reminder of you he'll have for the rest of his life."

Abby sniffled. "That he only did 'cuz Tony told him it would impress me. It's not like he'll have to look at it or anything."

Kay smiled softly. "Abby, Tim does care about you very much. He talks about you at lot, even when we're alone." She laughed wryly. "To tell you the truth, it's made me jealous as hell to listen to him sometimes. There have been days when the two of you have worked closely together and he comes home and talks about it when I've wondered why he was with me when he obviously still has such feelings for you."

Abby looked up in surprise. "He has? I mean, he does?"

Kay smiled at her. "Yes. He's very fond of you."

Abby looked down at the table again. "But he loves you."

Kay closed her eyes for a second, then spoke, "Yes, he told me today that he loves me. And I love him, too, Abby. I have for a long time." Kay tried to look Abby in the eye, but Abby eluded her. "Abby, I really don't want this to ruin our friendship. And I'm not trying to come between you and Tim. I don't want that."

Abby finally looked up at Kay. "I don't want to ruin our friendship either. But what am I going to do, knowing that you and Tim are in love, and I'm left on the outside? Where do I fit in here?"

Kay was silent for a moment, then looked Abby in the eye and said, "We all fit together as friends, Abby. Very close friends." She was thoughtful for a moment, then spoke again, "You haven't told Tim how you feel about him for years. Is it really different now? Are you going to tell him? Because if you are, it's going to put him in a difficult position. He's going to feel as though he has to choose between the two of us. Do you really want to do that to him?"

Abby sighed. "No, I don't want to do that. If I do, I'm likely to lose my best friend in the whole world." She looked at Kay again. "You're right, I haven't told Tim my feelings in a long time. I guess because I've known inside that before you joined us, he would have come back to me. But I'm not ready for a steady commitment. He is. I think he needs that stability. And he's found it, in you. You're good for him. I guess I've known that for a while now, even though I didn't know you were together." Abby took a deep breath, then sat up straighter and looked Kay full in the face. "I also think that he knows I love him, at least, in a way. But he's moved beyond me." She smiled. "He and I will always be best friends. But I think I can handle knowing the he loves you, as long as you love him just as much."

Kay smiled and took Abby's hand. "I love him with all my heart. I would give him anything, everything."

Abby smiled back. "Ok, that's good enough for me." She got a mock-serious look on her face. "But if you ever hurt him, you will die and no one will ever find the pieces."

Kay laughed. "Deal."

Together they left the cafeteria and took the elevator up to Tim's floor. They bypassed the waiting room and went straight to Tim's room. Peeking inside, they found Gibbs and Tony still with him. He was awake again and speaking quietly to Gibbs. Neither woman wanted to disturb them, so they walked back to the waiting room and sat down.

It seemed like everything was going to be ok, after all.

_**Three weeks later…**_

Tim moaned as he moved his hips upward. His hands were on Kay's hips holding her steady and pulling her down as she straddled him. Kay leaned down and kissed him, teasing his mouth with her tongue. She was deliberately moving slowly, driving him crazy, making him gasp and moan out loud. She ran her tongue along his jaw line, then lower. She kissed his chest, running her tongue lightly over the surgical scar.

Slowly, she picked up the pace, and he responded with fervor. Soon he was bucking upward, holding her and pulling her as close as possible as she matched him, thrust for thrust. They pounded together for an endless moment before her inner muscles tightened around him and she moaned his name out loud. After just a few more thrusts, he was there with her, reaching that climax.

Slowly, their breathing returned to normal and hearts slowed. Kay looked down at her lover, taking in the sheer bliss on his face. He opened his eyes and looked at her. His eyes held such passion and such love, it almost made her cry. Instead, she let her own feelings show through her eyes, and watched as his face broke into a sweet smile. He put his hand up to the back of her neck and slowly pulled her head downward.

"I love you, Kay." he said softly, just before bringing her lips to his in a deep, slow kiss.

She kissed him until she had to come up for air, then looked down at him and smiled. "I love you, too, Tim."

Slowly she raised herself off of him, both of them moaning as he slid out of her. She moved to his side, curling around his body, one leg over his hip and her head and arm against his chest. She listened to the steady _thump, thump _of his now-strong heart, and slowly closed her eyes. She felt a peacefulness she had never known before.

Tim felt Kay laying against him, and put his arms around her. He laid a soft kiss on the top of her head, then laid a cheek against her hair. He closed his eyes and smiled. They had been though a lot in the past few weeks while his heart healed enough for normal activity. He chuckled a little to himself. What they had just done may not have been considered "normal activity" to the doctors, but it was something Tim treasured.

Tim kissed Kay's head once more, then let himself drift off to sleep. His last thought before sleep claimed him was, "I'm home."


End file.
